Blackjack Basics for Beginners

Blackjack is one of the oldest and most popular games in any casino or gambling establishments anywhere in the world. It is also known as 21 because as the name suggests, the player who holds cards with the value of 21 or the nearest to 21 without going over wins.

The game is very easy. One only has to know the values of the different cards and he/she is ready to play.

Anyway for beginners and for those who are not familiar with the game, The basic premise of the game is to have a hand value that is 21 or closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21. The dealer is your only concern because you are playing directly with him. Other players at the table does not affect your hand, therefore, there is not a problem with the dealer or any of the other players at the table seeing the cards in your hand.

In blackjack, the cards are valued as follows:

An Ace can count as either 1 or 11 The cards from 2 through 9 are valued as indicated. The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10. The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game. The value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. For example, a hand containing (6,7,8) has the value of 21. The Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. An example will illustrate: Suppose that you have the beginning hand (Ace, 7). This hand can be either 7 or 17. If you stop there, it will be 18. Let's assume that you draw another card to the hand and now have (Ace, 7, 2). Your total hand is now 20, counting the Ace as 11. Let's backtrack and assume that you had instead drawn a third card which was a 9. The hand is now (Ace, 7, 9) which totals 17. Notice that now the Ace must be counted as only 1 to avoid going over 21.

Once the cards are dealt, play proceeds around the table, starting at the first seat to the dealer's left, also called first base. Each player in turn indicates to the dealer how he wishes to play the hand. The player could "hit" or ask for a third card or if he is satisfied with his hand, he could stop or have a "stand". If you decide to hit, the dealer will deal your additional cards on the table in front of your bet and add them to your total hand value. If you go over 21 or you "busted", just toss the two cards in your hand face up on the table. The dealer will collect your bet, and discard your hand. After each player has finished his hand, the dealer will complete his hand, and then pay or collect the player bets.

A blackjack, is a total of 21 in your first two cards. A blackjack is therefore an Ace and any ten-valued card, with the additional requirement that these be your first two cards. The distinction is important, because a winning blackjack pays the player odds of 3 to 2. A bet of $10 wins $15 if the player makes a blackjack. A player blackjack beats any dealer total other than a dealer's blackjack, including a dealer's regular 21. If both a player and the dealer make blackjack, the hand is a tie or push. The dealer will usually pay your winning blackjack bet immediately when it is your turn to play.

These are just the basics of Blackjack. If you've never played the game before, it can be a little intimidating at first. Just sit down at a table first with friends and give it a try. After getting the hang of it, all these details will be easy and you'll find your own style and strategy. Like many things, practice makes perfect!